Know the Best Ways to Deal with Chapped Lips

Chapped lips are common especially when it comes to winter seasons. As the air lose its moisture, so does your skin, hands, and lips. When it comes to the lips, chapped lips are a common problem. This condition can be painful, unsightly and undoubtedly unattractive. Individuals experiencing chapped lips often complain of pain, dryness, cracking, flaking, red and tender lips. Chapped lips are mainly caused by diet restrictions, especially vitamin deficiency. Other causes include:

Allergic reactions

Dehydrations

Smoking

Excessive licking of lips

Sunrays exposure

Harsh weather conditions

A major symptom or sign of this condition is the presence of dry skin patches on face. Both homemade and commercial products can do dealing with chapped lips. Some of the common remedies for this condition include:

1. Take Plenty Of Fluids

Fluids are essential requirements to the general well-being of the body. Taking plenty of water is important especially to the skin and lips. Water in the body increases circulation thus nourishing the lips. This prevents drying and ultimate cracking of lips.

2. Avoid Licking Your Lips

Licking chapped lips can cause you more damage. When the lips are chapped, there is a temptation to constantly lick or pick at them. Despite these processes can relief your lips for some time, saliva left on the lips evaporates leaving the lips dry. Besides, picking on the skin covering your lips may result in bleeding. This may culminate in infections and cold sores. Since licking your lips is a common sign, some measures will aid you to avoid this. Applying a lip balm immediately you feel the urge is the first remedy. Secondly, you should reapply the ointment once you run dry or after rinsing out your mouth.

3. Exfoliation

Exfoliation is a necessary therapy when it comes to skin care. Dry skin patches on the skin can also be alleviated by exfoliation. Exfoliation is the process of removing dead skin cells. This will expose new skin cells with better protective features. For homemade situations, exfoliation can be achieved through the following procedures.

Using a combination of sugar and salt. Applying the scrub resulting from this mixture to your lips in a circular motion can allay chapped lips. The ultimate result is a soft and renewed lip surface.

Use an exfoliating brush. This is most likely the easiest and effective method. You can use your toothbrush as an exfoliating brush. However, ensure that the brush is clean. Rub it in a circular motion to exfoliate the dead skin.

4. Use Of Ointment

There are many anti-chapping lip ointments available in the market currently. However, purchasing incautiously over the counter ointments or lip balms may not heal your chapped lips. Finding the most appropriate lip ointment, therefore, requires special considerations. Below are some of the considerations to look into.

Find a lip balm with special ingredients including beeswax, coconut butter, almond oil, shea butter among other natural moisturizers.

Go for a lip balm with vitamin E or glycerin contents.

Avoid using lipsticks to moisturize lips directly. Some lipsticks can dry your lips. You should, therefore, apply a protective ointment before applying lipstick.

5. Soothing Painful Lips

Using cucumber slices. Rubbing cucumber slices on the lips for 10 minutes can be effective.

Using aloe Vera gel on the lips

Using honey to soothe painful lips

6.Treating Underlying Causes Of Cracked Lips

Chapped lips often result from initially cracked lips. Treating cracked lips is, therefore, the mainstay treatment therapy for chapped lips. Some of the regimens used to treat causes of cracked lips include:

Avoid sleeping or breathing with your mouth open. Air currents created by inflowing air in your mouth can prime drying of lips. You should, therefore, close your mouth to avoid air circulations. You can avoid this by using a mouth guard, or a retainer will ensure your mouth stays put all night long.

7. Understand Medications Side Effects

Chapped lips are sometimes result due to certain medication use. Therefore, you should consider stopping the use of such medications when such effects arise after initiating them. However, consult your doctor before stopping use, as some might be minor side effects.

Conclusion

Chapped lips are a problem many people experience currently. The condition is becoming common due to increasing exposures including sun rays, unhealthy skin conditions among others. If not controlled, chapped lips can progress to serious complications priming the onset of serious infections in the lips. Consider the prevention measures mentioned above therefore to avoid chapped lips.